The Branded
by lazyhappylucky
Summary: She wanted to be at home with a maid and her delinquent sister where she belonged. She only went to school for him. He taught her mathematics in school and he taught her how to kiss when no one was looking.
1. The Impossibles

Excuse spelling and grammar///

"Come now, Hinata, wakey wakey."Ramma strode by the lump's bed, shaking the edges to awake her sleeping beauty. She was rolled up in a ball, covered by her thick governmental blankets, she wanted to bury herself in them so that no one would find her. No wonder her father depended so much on that stupid nanny. She shook the bed once more, bending her old, crooked back over to catch a small ball of hair off the floor at the foot of Hinata's bed.

"Ramma, I feel sick still." she groaned, covering herself even further, it would have been more effective for her to sit there lifelessly, perhaps she would get two hours off of school for a hospital visit-she could certainly pull it off.

"You can't stay here forever, your father says you must go back to school today." Ramma rushed through the room to enter into the left corridor. She had a lot of work to do and no time to reason with the stubborn heiress.

"My head is hurting." she tore the blankets off of herself, throwing them to the side as she more-energetically crawled out of bed with a long, drawn out groan. "Perhaps the doctors were wrong." Hinata choked as she stretched suggestively out on the floor.

"I'm sure they weren't, Hinata. Hurry up, your ride will be here any minute." Ramma poked her head in the door as she carried a basket full of laundry. How the young woman and her even younger sister accumulated so much dirty laundry confused her.

"Oh fine." she whined, jumping up and bolting to the bathroom. She had been sick prior to this. She was pale, weak, and lost five pounds at a time. No doubt she was deathly ill with some type of undiscovered ailment. It didn't matter, her father took care of it. Now she was behind, three or four months. Her father was far too busy to supervise her during this period of time during which she was taken care of by Ramma and several doctors that boarded in the house along side their extensive staff.

"I've ironed your new uniform, it's on your armoire." Ramma shouted from across the hall as she ventured into the dangerous waters of Hanabi's bedroom, Hinata wouldn't even step foot in their. It was impossible to do so without stepping on thousands of crayons which simply crept her out.

To Hinata, the new uniforms always seemed to get shorter and shorter each year but she was sure it had something to do with the grade level, or not. When she first set eyes on it, she assumed Ramma had accidentally confused her uniform with a French maid's costume. It was so cliche, so typical. It was just another reason that she couldn't stand the onslaught she went through each year known as high school. She would be a junior this year, almost their but not quite. It only depressed her more that she would start out her year behind.

Now she came down the main hall of her home, wearing the absurd outfit Ramma had lain on her dresser and searching for the other half of her make-shift family. It was only because she had no clue how the system was working this year, Hanabi was currently the only one other than Neji attending school and she was such a delinquent she barely knew where to go.

She found her in the living room, staring into a flashing box as usual. Hinata, come to think of it, wasn't exactly sure if Hanabi ever even went to school. Ramma couldn't control her, her father could barely keep her in check, the only person who's say matter worth a damn to her was her mother's and she was too far under ground to give commands. Hinata refrained from speaking to her sister normally, she was the odd one, she was silent and dangerous. She didn't enjoy Hinata's company, she would groan whenever she entered the same room as her and she snickered whenever her name was mentioned in conversation. Naturally, Hinata didn't want to be places she wasn't wanted.

"Hanabi, when do we leave for school?" hinata asked as she approached the girl in her seat on the couch.

"Man, I don't even know." Hanabi slumped as she kneeled on her palm, continuing to stare at the TV. "Oh yeah, Dad told me to give you this." Hanabi jumped up, reaching deep into the left pocket of her private school uniform shorts. She pulled out a platinum and gold card, shoving it into Hinata's face. It was greasy and slightly bent but Hinata delicately plucked it out of the girl's hand.

Looking over it, it was indeed a credit card. Her first. She then looked back at her sister who was now entranced in the television, literally three inches away from the flashing screen. "How long have you had this?"

"Yeah, I got it like two weeks ago or something. I was gonna give it to you but I needed it for stuff." she replied, not bothering to turn around and even glance up at her older sister.

"Oh." Hinata shrugged, it was certainly a mediocrely good excuse. She held the card nearly four inches away from her face as she walked away. "Wait a minute." she said before stopping promptly. "Needed it for what?" she asked.

"Stuff." she answered, needless to say, the look she shot Hinata gave her the hint that she didn't really need to know what and what exactly Hanabi was buying on her own time, further more she probably didn't desire to know what sick things her sister was up to in her free time.

Hinata strode over to the window out of which she saw a large limousine sitting conspicuously on the side of her yard. It was parked and she could faintly see a little man in the front, staring straight ahead and waiting on the young girls. Hinata took the initiative by going outside on her own, she knew Hanabi would either catch a ride from someone or skip school all together. Hinata didn't care as much as she should.

Walking down the terrace, the driver motioned to her to come along as he got out of the front seat to open the back door for her. She smiled and nodded a thank you while sliding her body into the back seat. This was weird. Although she was a child of fortune, she wasn't quite used to getting in and out of limousines, she often walked everywhere so no to stir up a crowd.

Her driver was a young man, he had thick, choppy brown hair that was slightly unkempt but hidden stealthily under his cap. He wasn't handsome but he wasn't undesirable, he was average she supposed. He began driving without a word as she admired the shape of his lips through the rear view mirror. She was very interested in boys, she was simply waiting for her father's approval. She'd been on dates but moreover her father was very fascinated with Neji. He was barely related to her but still they were as similar as dawn and dusk. She had no feelings for him, no romantic feelings After all she got to know him as a cousin.

She still enjoyed the company of other men. She had seen no boys since she was ill, she had only seen Neji three times a week. Her school was only a few minutes away, it seemed larger than it was originally when she pulled up in front. The children and teenagers bustling in and out were all too familiar to her and she grimaced. She couldn't be going back to this.

She opened the door, climbing out.

But she didn't take her eyes off the large building, it looked like a prison. She was now returning to this prison of never-ending judgement. She was rarely judged herself, she was rich, beautiful, intelligent and very sweet. She had flocks of suitors and tons of friends.

"Hinata! You're back!" Sakura ran up to Hinata as she was barely out of the car and threw her skinny arms around the girl's neck. Hinata chuckled uncomfortably, she didn't really like Sakura. She was rude, troublesome, she spread rumors and used people until there was nothing left to benefit from. Unfortunately she was Ino's friend so Hinata accepted the fact that she was probably stuck with her.

"Hi." she responded, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Oh you sound hoarse. Are you still sick?" Sakura questioned by pushing her face close into Hinata's which made her draw back.

_I'd be fine if you'd get out of my face...._"Yes, my throat is a little scratchy." Hinata smiled, rubbing her throat to add to the fake sick affect.

"Your butt looks great! Have you been working out?" Sakura smiled, nudging Hinata playfully on the shoulder. It wasn't as amusing to the Hyuuga.

_Yes, I was doing crunches while I suffered and vomited blood for three months. _"No, not really."

"Oh, I wish I had your body! Just look at your boobs! They're perfect." Sakura yelped unusually loud in excitement, a little too excited. She mustered the nerve to reach out in excitement and wrap her skinny fingers around Hinata's two perfect breasts which made her yelp.

"No! Don't touch them!" Hinata instinctively pushed Sakura away as her face flared up and she painfully clenched her own breasts. She had not meant to yell as loud as she did. even more embarrassing, Naruto, her crush and self proclaimed one true love just happened to stroll by and catch the entire scene.

She caught sight of his face and stared at him like a mad man until he walked away, mirroring her confused and slightly fearful expression. Hinata sighed, letting go of her chest. It would be just another moment that she had completely embarrassed herself in front of the boy that she loved. This was just one reason to despise Sakura with every fiber of her being.

Hinata continued on by walking away in the same direction Naruto did, up the stairs and into the building. Sakura followed like a lost puppy, continuing to ramble and rant about absolutely nothing-atleast nothing Hinata cared about but she'd never say that.

She made her way down the halls in an attempt to somehow escape Sakura but to no avail. She had forgotten that they were in the same History class. So Sakura followed her to her locker and sat behind her in History class and she insisted upon chatting in her ear the entire period. In fact, Hinata did not escape the horrible onslaught that was Sakura Haruno until second lunch.

She gave a sigh of relief when Sakura waved goodbye, entering her fifth period class. Hinata herself was quite unsure about her own classes since she'd been gone and didn't receive the other half of her block sheet. She had no idea what classes she was supposed to be in after fourth.

Her classes had gone by smoothly for the most part. History was only her favorite subject because she was tutored mercilessly on the history of Japan and her clan's origin. Her second period was Marin Biology, which she greatly enjoyed other than the fact that she'd fallen behind on every assignment. Her worst class was Geographic Theories, she didn't intend to take the class. Her father insisted upon it. Even with Sakura's constant annoyances, she always found physical education to be practical yet challenging. She was fit, these exercises were simple to her and she enjoyed them. It only made it better that Sakura struggled with anything that didn't involve talking about unicorns and ponies and glitter.

She looked around the cafeteria, attempting to find someone who wouldn't annoy her with idle conversation until she wanted to stab herself in her left ear drum. There was Temari, one of the upperclassmen she respected too much to even consider herself to be on their level. She saw Shikamaru, Ino's boyfriend but not a close enough acquaintance for her to speak to privately, and there was always Neji. She shuddered for a moment, just thinking of how uncomfortable it would be to bare through that. So she began to walk away.

For a moment though, she thought about it. If she had no friends, no options, Neji would be her closest thing to a companion. But this wasn't as desperate of a situation, she had friends. Damn good friends who loved her beyond belief at that. _No, I'm not going through that train wreck again. _

She did remember her secret spot, it was probably no longer secret since she hadn't resorted to going there since she was a freshman. She really didn't see any point in eating lunch anyhow. She would be eating alone since all of her friends ate at different times. She now questioned why she even went to school. She knew Hanabi was just at home, watching TV and terrorizing the nurses while she demanded odd and disturbing things.

She held her lunch bag to her chest and slowly walked up the stairs so not to point herself out. Her steps were nimble and swift and she even began to giggle slyly at how crafty and naughty she was being. Going out on her own, so it wasn't as edgy and exciting as most were used to but for her, it was a break through.

She reached the top and darted to the elevator where she pressed the button near the side several times more than she should have. It immediately opened to her liking with a soft and assuring ding. She playfully hopped inside and pressed the button, looking up at the blinking lights in the roof. The doors shut around her and she hummed to herself as she went up. Not feeling the motion in itself but somehow knowing that it was happening.

The door reopened on the third floor, it was the only room on the third floor opened to students. The rest was utilities and resources. She knew exactly where to go, making her little shuffle over to a large door. The door was held closed by a pad lock. The secret of the door was that the lock was never actually even locked, in fact it was broken. She discovered her little secret when she was once too intimidated to enjoy lunch with her friends if they were in the presence of the opposite sex, then again that was a while before she became so well endowed.

She pulled the lock in one swift, forceful tug and it came loose. Now she slid the metal doors open to reveal a staircase leading up to the roof. She slid the doors shut behind her and walked up the stairs at a simple pace. She then reached up over her head, grabbed the handle of the roof door above her and pushed upward until the door flung open.

Once her hands were pressed onto the rough terrain of the concrete roof, she pulled herself out and immediately felt the cool, tranquil air as it hit her face in the most gentle way. She took a deep breath, relieved. She wanted to be back home, back with her juvenile younger sister and nurturing doctors where she belonged, yet she was here in this hell trap. _Oh well, it's no worse than being trapped in a room with Sakura for an hour, even if it's with thirty other kids. _

"What are you doing up here?" the masculine voice erupted from behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned about like an icicle. She had not known someone shared a few brief seconds with her on the roof. She had assumed she was alone, she was wrong. There in front of her, was a tall man. His face much more mature than that of the boys she'd grown to know and associate with regularly. She only noticed his hair, it was black. Real black, not like the generic stuff teenage boys intentionally planted in sections of their head. His eyes were second, they had no color at all. She had never seen a man with what looked like just pupils and she was entranced-no-_afraid_ of them.

_Oh no, its happening again. I have no idea what to say...well you have to say something.....say it! _"What?" _No, not that! _It was an accident, she wanted to cover her mouth immediately after she said it, she could have said something more attractive, more sensible, more intelligent but she didn't. She knew she must have looked incredibly stupid, staring at him having said the ultimate unintelligent statement.

"I said, why are you up on the roof?" he restated the question and Hinata froze even more.

"I...I...just." Hinata stuttered, shaking and quivering in her little artificial shell.

"Exactly, now go to class." he replied strictly.

"I'm in lunch." she managed to push the words out of her mouth before clamming up again.

"You should be eating with your friends, this is a dangerous place to be for a child." he spoke before turning around and walking along to edges of the building.

_Dangerous for a child? You're the idiot walking one the edge of a three story building. _"I'm..._nrrt r chrrrld._" she murmured to him, unsure if she actually wanted him to hear or not.

"What did you say?" He turned around and shot a poisonous glare at her.

"I said....I'm not a child." she spoke in the same soft tone but slightly clearer, she decided that she didn't want him to hear but it was too late now and she had no other words in her mind that didn't involve begging for mercy.

"Funny, you look like a child." he said, his words were so bland and straight forward they barely existed.

Hinata didn't respond to that because she knew that was exactly what she wanted, she learned how to pick her battles and she'd rather avoid this one. This was obviously a person that wouldn't be defeated, no matter what he would reply with some disturbingly thought out come back. She was too meek to fight him. She figured if she remained silent, he would forget her presence and she could eat lunch in silence.

Time was reduced to the moments that passed between them and she made the mistake of sighing, she just couldn't hold it anymore.

"I haven't seen you around here." he said, it was hardly even conversational material. He was stating the obvious.

"I've been sick." she said, not speaking to him directly but continuing to stare off into the cloudy sky just as he did.

"Are you the Hyuuga?" He turned to her, just barely peering in her direction and she nodded humbly.

_The Hyuuga? I'm not the only one you know...._"Yes. Me and my second cousin." she verified his theory.

"My cousin and _I_." he corrected her and she gave him a look that reflected annoyance and questioning.

"You're a teacher." she spoke breathlessly, completely unaware that she'd said that aloud.

"Yes." he nodded as well. Hinata was melting, only because this conversation was so dry, it was due to strike fire at any moment. "But I was asking about you." and just like that, steam erupted from her cheeks. Not by the statement but by the way he said it. He could not have made it sound more physical, she never even believed a mere utterance could ever be that sexual just by saying it in a lighter or heavier tone.

She blushed, holding her cheeks and completely disregarding the brown bag lunch she had in her hands. This was a flushing emergency. She made no sound but felt as though she could literally hear the blood rushing to her face as it happened.

"You're sensitive, I can tell." he mouthed in a way that she saw his lips in slow motion as they moved. She didn't know why he was saying that, did it really matter? This conversation was all too personal for a teacher to have with a student at any rate.

"Why would you say that?" she poked curiously, moving around the gravel under her feet with the tip of her shoe.

"I can tell."he began. "It's not a bad thing."

She didn't bother to reply to that either, of course it was of some significance to him or he wouldn't bother saying it.

"What's your name?"

She still didn't reply, she turned on her heal, knelt down and opened the small flat door. She began walking back down the stairs, away from this person who she was displeased to make an acquaintanceship with. She didn't have very much longer until lunch was over and she wasn't happy to say she'd spent it with a complete stranger. She would have rather suffered through Neji's bombard of personal questions than have sat there awkwardly being broken apart by a man she didn't even know.

So she sat in the dark corridor that existed between the Psychological evaluation room and the community sweat trap she knew as the girl's bathroom and the locker room. She was peaceful there, no one to mess with her or berate her. Even better, No Sakura, no Neji, and no handsome strangers. _He was handsome._ She blushed to herself just thinking about it.

She screamed into herself as Naruto approached her with the most sincere expression. She wanted to disappear into the background so that he could not observe her imperfections. But here he was, she quickly tried to fix her hair although there wasn't a strand out of place. Before she could think to move he was right in front of her, smiling like a fool. She beamed up at him in a dysfunctional way which deterred his natural smile into one of confusion and distrust.

"Hinata, you look great for a sick person." Naruto chuckled to himself at his own less than clever joke.

Hinata nodded with the same excitement. Her face began to burn up in humiliation, he said she looked _great_. Not good but great.

"Anyways, I got your classes so...if you want I could show you to them." Naruto shrugged politely, showing her a short strip of paper with a list of Hinata's courses on it.

She jumped to her feet almost instantly. "If...if you could.....I'd love that." she smiled the greatest smile she could muster.

"So then, your fifth class is mathematics." Naruto read enthusiastically off the paper, jumping up in delight and running a mini race against himself down the hall. Hinata followed close behind with a playful smile, this was only her dream to be so close to Naruto.

He did a cute, play airplane spin before making a turn and stopping in front of the first door. "There you have it, advanced mathematics with Mr. Uchiha." Naruto tapped the door, probably feeling very clever. "Class is gonna start soon." he motioned by looking at his arm. Hinata giggled as he pantomimed. He didn't even have a watch.

He then turned to her and they smiled back and forth. "Gotta go, seeya." Naruto jumped up from his relaxed state and began running the other way, still with a happy smile.

Her heart fluttered, the way he went around with such a happy disposition. He waved at her as the halls began to fill up with students making the transition from class to class. She stumbled when she was pushed out of the doorway by students flooding out of the room she was meant to be in, she had completely forgotten she was standing in the middle of the hall. She'd assumed she was standing in heaven.

She let go of her fantasy, smiling and shaking her head gently. It would never be true, but that was the point of high school, dreaming. It just made her happy to be in his presence and thinking about him so much made her inwardly hysterical. So she walked into the room, dropping her books on the first particular table she saw and sitting down without a word but still smiling like an idiot.

Naruto was sweet, perfect in every way. He brightened her life and he didn't even know it. Sadly, she was not the type of girl Naruto usually dated. He wanted the perfect, superficial, rejecting girls that never wanted to have anything to do with him. She however, was too sweet to ever be that girl.

She drew miniature hearts on the desk with her finger as her left palm cupped her cheek. This was truly her world. "Hinata Hyuuga." her name lingered out by a voice she dreaded, it echoed through her ears and she could even smell them as they were formed. She looked up in a shaking fear and there he was. The handsome stranger, a clipboard in his hand and an arrogant smirk upon his lips. "Means Sunny." he checked her name off the board and she watched him walk back up to his desk which was mere inches away. "Atleast now I know what to call you."

Her brows furrowed. She didn't know.....how was this possible? Not only was the man a pain in her perfect bum, he was her teacher! She was going to have to put up with this guy for seven more months. Her jaw dropped, dumbfounded and desperate for some type of relief.

"You look surprised." he smirked even wider, dropping the board on his desk and stretching his arm.

She didn't say anything, this was all too pointless. She decided she wouldn't argue, she was here to teach and he was here to learn. Neither of them had any business doing something other than those two things.

So she sat and cooperated. He taught, she couldn't keep up, she forgot everything she'd learned, he went too fast, she crumpled her notes-she wouldn't get them anyway. Sakura continued to pass notes to her from the back of the room, he smiled every time he noticed her frustration and instead of helping, moved on with a playful expression as if it were a joke. She snarled, staring at her paper as if to threaten it into doing what she wanted, then deciding that it wouldn't work out. She stuffed the sheets into her binder and thanked the Lord above for the final end of her long, grueling hour of torture. She reclined back in her seat, it was finally over. Now all she depended on was the ringing of the bell, the bell that would set her free. That very moment the admins would open the front doors so that the children could flood out and run around in excitement and talk of what they would do after school. Dates were made, people were broken up, others were just relieved to be out of school.

Finally, the only signal Hinata needed was the short wisp of air leaking out of the intercom system for her to know she was finally free. Moments after, the bell chimed and the silence of the class was broken. People picked up their books and darted for the exit. She followed suit. And she was almost out the door.

"Hinata, can I see you?" She turned her head and her hair spanked the back of her neck. Sasuke peered up from a stack of papers he had on his desk and motioned for her to approach him. She sighed, letting go of all her intentions of leaving this dreadful place. She hot him the 'This better be good.' look and he raised a brow.

He didn't seem to be saying anything. "Is there something you need?" Hinata asked politely although it was more sarcastic than she'd intended it to be.

"You forgot your lunch." He pulled a bag out from his desk, holding it up in all it's expired, semi-edible glory. It smelled horrid, why would she want that. she stared at the bag like it was the worst thing in the world, then accepted it by holding out her hand which he then dropped the bag into with a wink. She groaned on the inside, eying his classical expression. And she could already tell, the rest of this year was going to be a bitch.


	2. The Secretives

"Bye, Hina, see you in fifth!" Sakura waved excitedly, blowing a kiss with her disturbingly sweet smile. Hinata's was more bitter. "Hina? Oh my Gosh, I'm totally going to start calling you that now! It's so kitsch!" She jumped up and clapped, it really wasn't that entertaining at all but Hinata waved. As soon as she turned around she grimaced, if she had to face one more day with that nuisance she would vomit.

Atleast she had her Hinata time. She almost got out of going to school that morning after claiming she had a pounding headache and her heart felt weak. Ramma just poured her a cup of tea and sent her off. So she was satisfied, she wanted to be home but at the same time this was a seemingly new environment. She had a new place to be with new people to see and new places to go, she was sick of staring at her pale pink walls and eating salmon all day. Let the record show that salmon is the staple of a Hyuuga diet.

So now she held onto her lunch nice and tight with intentions to go onto the roof again. All she had to do was sneak past Neji although seeing him was inevitable, they had a meeting this afternoon. She had a schedule for which days she had to see him. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It was the one thing that she dreaded more than anything. He wanted her so badly, too badly and he was much too concerned with her life.

He persistently asked of her physical condition and it made her insane. _I'm in a bed, coughing up blood and losing ten pounds at a time because it's my favorite sport..._

When she saw him approaching her, she didn't know whether to stand still or run for it. She had obviously taken too long to daydream and he'd seen her in the thick of people either going to class or lunch in haste to be the first in line or get the best seat in the back. Now it was inevitable, he was three feet away from her and she'd already turned when he called her name. He wore his typical prep-school outfit although this was a public school which consisted of a white polo shirt and tennis shorts, he had cut his hair slightly shorter as if it made a difference, no one really cared if his hair was even or not.

Now only time could save her from this. "Hinata, my dear, how are you? I barely realized you've started school already. You still look quite ill." You see? This was exactly why. Who still says "ill".

"Well, I feel fine." she responded hoarsely although it went unheard.

"Have you done well in your studies? Is there anything I can help you with? I want you to be your best even as you've come out of this sickness." He just continued on and on, talking and talking.

"Neji, I'm really fine." she interjected, stopping him in his tracks of never ending questions.

"Would you like to sit with us at lunch?" He took her hand and stroked it tenderly.

She desperately wanted to pull it out of his hand but she stood strong. "I'm actually going to eat on the roof." _Oh dammit._

His look turned stern. "You're still at that? Can I ask you one thing?" he tilted his head sarcastically which made Hinata wanted to punch the look off his face. "How old are you? fourteen? You are far too old to be roaming around that way, people will begin to think you're not worth anything." _That's NOT completely untrue.....yes it is._

"Neji, I don't need your approval to do things." Hinata subtly stated, pulling her hand away from him.

"Hinata, do not snap at me." he growled under his breath as if people were watching, as if they really cared.

Though she hated it, she knew the only way to get through to him was to admit some fault even if it was completely untrue. "You're right, I should be more mature. I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"I'm glad you see it my way." Neji sighed pleasantly.

"May I please go to the restroom now, I'll meet with you after lunch." she asked as if she really needed the permission of someone only a year older than her.

"Of course, I will be looking forward to it." He smiled before making his way down the staircase in front of him and as soon as he turned around, she gagged. This was exactly why she hated being around him from the fire that burned in the bottom of her belly.

Now she had a mission, she turned as soon as she was sure he couldn't see her and ran over to the nearby elevator, pressing the button just once and twisting where she stood as she waited for the door to open. Finally it chimed and she was given access to her personal world. She went up, coming out of the elevator to unhinge the door and climbing up the stairs that led to her personal world. But now she came face to face with the man that made her personal world a community club.

"Why are you here...again?" He asked sternly with half clenched teeth as he held a foam cup of coffee in his hand.

"This is my spot." _What? You didn't think I was coming back? _she spoke this while sipping from her tea and placing her cup on the asphalt.

"Leave." He grunted, turning away and staring into the grayish-blue sky.

"I can't." she pleaded in a sort of whining tone which she even thought was accidental.

He turned to her with a raised brow. She looked back at him, swallowing the lump in her throat as the chilled wind blew into her face. She looked sincere and he knew instantly there was something she was trying to avoid and quite desperately.

"Why?" He continued his stare.

She was entranced by his own look, not of his features but of his concern, she didn't know what to say that wouldn't make her seem completely useless. "Neji." she answered.

"Hyuuga?" He attempted to clarify although only one Neji went to the school.

She nodded without taking her eyes off him. He motioned with his fingers for her to approach him and she reluctantly carried her lunch over to him and stood directly to his left, staring into the same blank emptiness as him. And for a moment, it felt as though, she was alone. They were both alone, just alone together which took alone to a new level. It was serine, free out there and that was why she was entranced by it.

The sky was empty, she wondered if it ever missed the people it loved when they passed or if it ever acknowledged the rest of them...down there. "I just wish I was out there." he spoke barely a whisper."Just roaming."

"Why?" she asked modestly, still staring into the same clouds.

"What's wrong with Neji." he completely deflected her question with another question.

"I hate him." she stated blatantly without hardly thinking. The words in her mind ran over so harsh but it was just the truth.

"No you don't." he replied without hardly thinking himself. _Because you, sir, would really know._

"Yes I do, and I hate him more every day." she could hardly believe she was saying this but when she was out here, no ears around to criticize her and no one to tell her its wrong, she was going to say it all.

"That's deep." he chuckled slightly, digging into the pocket of his slacks and pulling out a single long cigarette,.

"I have to see him after school three times a week, he thinks he owns me just because....we're supposed to be dating." she gritted her teeth together and he turned to her quickly, looking stunned.

"He's your cousin."

"I know." She said. '"I wish I could avoid it but....Father says there's no way around it." she spoke, still staring into the blue but he gazed at her, running his eyes up and down his body sympathetically.

"When exactly do you see him?" Sasuke asked, nonchalantly and Hinata answered quickly.

"Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Friday from four to eight." she answered so quickly.

He nodded. It ended there and she just continued to stare, she knew for a fact, this is it. This is where she wanted to be. This is where she loved being. She could speak out whenever she wanted, and say whatever, she was no longer so reluctant. She thought for a moment, just a moment that it might be because of the man standing next to her. But it was merely a notion.

I know this was a short chapter but I planned out this story in a way that each chapter has to lead into the other perfectly so these chapters may be slightly shorter than most of my readers are used to, don't worry, it'll all work out.


	3. The Professionals

She was walking up her long drive that seemed just a little bit longer than it normally did. Her father did have it previously extended but that was an entirely different story. Something just seemed odd about the house today. The pale color was the same as it normally was, they seemed to have all their cars in position as normal. There was just an odd aura about the place.

And she realized it as she opened the front door. The hollow inside of her house was filled with a dreadful scent, nothing significant or distinct, just one that normally only filled her nose when she felt nervous. And there in front of her, she had not realized, was Hiashi. He'd returned from....wherever he'd been. She instantly dropped her things, running to him. She didn't know why, it was so unlike her. She was never one to get excited about her father's return. She just did what she thought he would have liked her to do.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him delicately on the cheek, instantly realizing that was a horrible idea since he smelled like garlic. She cringed but masked it well. He smiled and returned her love with an adoring hug. She then pulled away as fast as she could. She smiled. "Father! You're back!" she clapped her hands together with a false feeling of excitement.

"I'm so happy that my favorite daughter missed me for once." he didn't quite smile or sound humorous but she knew it was natural, he wasn't angry, he always looked stoic.

"Hanabi will be so excited to see that you're back." Hinata smiled, now thinking in the back of her head that it was complete BS. The only person that dislikes Hiashi more than she did was Hanabi.

"I've already seen your sister, she took it upon herself to give herself the day off from school today." _You mean everyday. _He straightened his tie.

"Yeah, I know." she sighed.

"It's so interesting how enthusiastic you are outside of school." Her ears perked to the sound of that familiar voice that haunted her Monday-Friday from eight to four pm. She turned and let out a small shriek.

"What are you doing here?" she yelped so high-pitchedly that it was barely heard.

He ignored her, turning his attention to her father who began an entirely new conversation. "Mr. Uchiha tells me you haven't been doing very well in his class." Hinata gasped but covered her mouth, peering at both of them briefly. "But I understand that you've been out of school for so long, you my need time to catch up so Mr. Uchiha has suggested that he tutor you everyday after school."

Hinata gasped once again, doing the same dance she did before. Her brows furrowed more and more with every word that came from her father's mouth. The only word she could think of was..._menace! Menace! Menace! Menace!_ _That man is such a menace! He's trying to ruin my life!_

"Now I know how much you value your alone time with Neji" Her father shook his head apologetically. _Oh, now I see where he's going. _"but I think your education is more important at the moment." Hinata's mouth remained agape but not the same way it was before.

"No worries, Mr. Hyuuga, I'll assure that Hinata learns everything she needs to progress." Sasuke nodded as Hinata rolled her eyes in pure disgust.

"I know you will." He replied gracefully, turning and walking away without another word. Hinata watched him walk into the emptiness of their home, she could barely believe that man was really her father. She truly came from him. "Your four hours starts now." he spoke just loud enough for Hinata to barely hear.

_Four hours? _she thought in pure rage. What had he done? She hated spending time with Neji but she didn't want to replace it with learning. She did math for an hour and a half everyday, now it was six. Good job.

She silently sat down on the couch near the front of the room. This was just perfect. Sasuke took the seat next to her in the same fashion and she turned away from him. She just couldn't believe he just did that. Of course she hated the idea of school but her real reason for disgust was the wonder. Why would he do that? Why would he care?

"Ignoring me is going to make tutoring you really difficult." Sasuke said, reclining back in their antique blue Victorian love seat.

"Why would you even do that?" she turned to him in anger and it was very obvious to him now that she was setting him up for an opportunity for her to flame at him. "It's not even any of your business."

"I guess I was just trying to help." He shrugged. "Besides, if its none of my business, why did you tell me?" he asked in the most unintelligent, smart ass tone.

"I was speaking figuratively." she huffed with her nose in the air. "It's not my fault you take it upon yourself to solve everyone else's problems."

""Fine then, if you don't want my help, I'll just leave. I have better things to do other than tutoring a spoiled, arrogant princess." he spat at her and she instantly became angry. Those words were the least appealing things she could have ever been graced with.

"I am not a spoiled princess." she growled under her breath, staring daggers at him and gritting her teeth together.

"Or should I say you're a groupie." Hinata covered her mouth in offense. "You spend all your time worshiping boys that aren't even thinking about you."

"That's....such a horrible...horrible lie! You are a liar." each syllable came out so strained and broken that she even sounded like a liar to herself.

"Oh I see you ogling that stupid blonde boy all day, honestly, you could really do a lot better." He snickered. "Then again, you don't even really have a chance."

"I do to have a chance!" she snarled, this time actually admitting that she had a desire to have a chance.

"You've got the right body, right personality, wrong guy." Sasuke rubbed under his knows, kneeling over to grab his suitcase and shuffling through it.

"If Naruto's the wrong guy, then who is the right guy?" Hinata crossed her arms, feeling like she was close to defeating him.

"Whom." He corrected again, still knelt over.

"No, who. When you answer the door do you say, whom is it? You say who." She insisted in the same way, sick of him always correcting her. "Now _whom _is the right guy?"

"No one at that school." he grunted as he brought himself back up, resting his briefcase in his lap.

"You're just trying to mess with me now." she stated quite emotionlessly.

"I'm not, I just know you're sensitive." he yawned now with his papers of choice in his hand, now above his head as he stretched his arms.

"I'm not sensitive." she responded in an uncaring tone, tilting her head to the side without eye contact.

He chuckled, she just proved his point. Had she not been sensitive she would not have denied his accusations of being sensitive. He peered at her for just a moment, watching as she stared into her lap, trying to decipher this "sensitivity" she knew didn't exist. "You have very fleshy lips, Hinata. They're very big." he said, just examining the plump and fullness of her lips.

"What?" she asked quickly and very unsettled. She covered her as if it were the most sexual thing she had ever heard.

"You have full lips, I like them." he repeated in an unexcited way, like this was an average conversation, like this didn't make her face flare up the most offensive color of crimson.

"Why...why would you say that?" Hinata asked hesitantly, still covering her mouth and shuddering with nervousness.

"It's true, I suppose. You must get a lot of compliments." Sasuke continued on, pulling out pens and things from the side pocket of his briefcase and now Hinata was slightly concerned about what he was planning to do with all that paper work.

"What are you going to do with those?" Hinata changed the subject, it was morbidly ill at any rate. She pointed to the stack that formed in his hand and he switched to it as if he had subconsciously began sorting all those papers.

"This is your class work for today." Hinata raised a brow. "You mean....I really have to do that?"

"Class is class, I'm not sitting here wasting my time for nothing." he planted the sheets on her lap. "We're going to begin with adding and multiplying radical functions." he pointed to the spot at which he wanted her to begin.

"I didn't even want to do this in the first place." she complained, worthlessly since she moaned and groaned while plugging in variables and deciphering the value of y.

"You'll get over it." He reclined back, very sloth like. Hinata suddenly hated him. She was supposed to be the one laying on the living chair. What was the point of going to school if she came home to it as well?

"So you're back, great." Sasuke snorted disrespectfully. The first day of their tutoring had been, to say the least, simple. Hinata studied quietly, Sasuke was bored to death. He didn't know she would be so passive as to just accept his demands to work. He expected at least a small argument, but not at all. She simply went over the problems, handed them to him when she was done, and asked if there was more work. He didn't doubt that she was very intelligent, she was far more experienced in mathematics than the rest of her classmates. He was very impressed by her answers, only three were incorrect.

He felt as though he'd damned himself to eternal boring, sluggish afternoons with the queen silence. For she never spoke.... Now the two of them were back to the usual spot, the roof top. Just eating lunch in bitter silence, he had to admit he felt at ease with her but he did also enjoy the solitude of eating alone. He just had to pretend to be disgusted by her presence, he thought that if he showed his indifference to her being there, she would stop coming.

"Why are you surprised?" She questioned almost silently.

"Don't we spend enough time together." He snorted. She blushed at the thought, they did spend a lot of time together. Just the idea of them being 'together' made her cheeks warm. They were connected, not romantically, but they were associated regularly, and he saw at as 'spending time together'. Normally it wouldn't have her so flustered but now, now things were a little different.

He was attractive. He wasn't like the boys around her school, barely pubescent, unintelligent, mind focused on one thing. Sasuke was older, more mature, _experienced _in ....._sex_. Not that she was interested in having sex at all. She mentally agreed with herself that if it had to be with someone, she would like it to be Naruto.

But then she sighed, it was yet another dream, nothing but a fantasy spinning around in her head. She shook her head gently, without a coy smile or delicate bliss. The look on her face was more disappointed, slightly sorrowful. He couldn't help but catch it.

"What are you thinking about?" He dared to ask, gazing into the bright sunshine of this day. The sky was fruitful with light, the sun seemed closer to their small village than it had ever been.

"It's nothing." she replied with a similar sigh.

"Quit shitting me, if there was nothing wrong, you wouldn't look the way you do." She had no idea how he always read her thoughts aloud like he did.

"There is really nothing I would like to talk about." There was that passiveness again.

"It's probably about Naruto, you think about him 24/7." Sasuke teased very knowingly.

She flushed. She wasn't going to deny it, she really was thinking about him. Plus, she didn't exactly want to say aloud what she was thinking in her head. If he knew she thought about sex, he'd never let it go.

"You're too good for him, you know." Sasuke began speaking aimlessly, pulling out a single long cigarette from his back pocket. He didn't look at her but Hinata's eyes never left his hand as he brought it up to cover his mouth and lit the cigarette. She scrutinized every part of him, she was suspicious, something was wrong with him. "You've been obsessed with him for how many years now? If he can ignore a pretty girl like you, he's probably not smart enough to be anyone you want to be involved with."

"I don't remember." she began some long speech she had plotted in her mind. "How I became so infatuated with him." Cut short, as Sasuke wasn't the person she'd imagined saying this to.

"Are you going to change for him?" Sasuke asked, taking the first long, drawn out puff of the poison he had between his index and middle finger.

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that you're not his type, he likes different girls. You know, the loud and obnoxious kind, like that pink one." he shrugged, taking to second long puff. Hinata twitched as she watched him suck the stick down his throat, it slowly turned into ash with every second. She felt herself dying of lung cancer just watching him. And in two easy puffs, the stick was down to the filter which he removed from his lips to flick onto the asphalt.

"I don't know, I don't think he's attracted to me at all." she spoke, tugging at the edges of her skirt to emphasize her plainness. The only thing Sasuke noticed was her perfectly round thighs. She put herself down so low. "Do you....do you think I'm....pretty?" she felt like such a stooge just asking but she felt the uncanny sensation that she had nothing to lose.

"Why would you ask me, I don't know." he interjected quickly as an answer, rolling his eyes a bit, inwardly burning up. Was she stupid? Why would she ask that? _I'm trying to be a teacher, am I supposed to answer that?_

"Sorry." she said immediately. "I...I should just lose some weight." he felt his brain boiling the way it did only when he heard things that made him feel a mix of sympathy and annoyance. He died a bit inside whenever he heard a perfect girl talking about how flawed she was. He just never saw Hinata as one of those girls, she sure did have it masked.

His wanted to grumble or groan but he couldn't, he didn't want to imply that he was unconcerned but it bored him to be honest. She was lovely, she didn't have to berate herself to get him to notice her. Then again, it wasn't really for him. She really thought she was unattractive. "Maybe I'll become a vegetarian." she said while patting her flat belly. "What do you think?" she turned to him as if he really had something to say.

His eyes simply remained fixed on her face. She mirrored his look, ready for whatever he would say and completely prepared to seek his guidance. It arose inside of him and he didn't want to stop himself. He didn't want to stop himself from grabbing the edge of her shirt and pulling her to him, then pressing his lips softly against hers. Just barely touching for the moment but he pressed it forward so that she could taste his breath. It wasn't an open mouthed kiss, he had no desire at the moment to cross over that line but he'd already broken so many boundaries.

She closed her eyes, allowing his lips to caress hers for a moment until she realized just what was happening. Her eyes snapped open but she didn't move away. His arm now supported her back while his other hand pressed against her face. She shivered under the touch of his freezing digits. She felt the kiss linger for a moment or two, atleast thirty seconds. His hand then slid away from her back and he released her lips, slowly allowing his own eyelids to flutter open. He left her body completely, pulling away and standing in his previous position, eyes fixed on her. Just watching her expression, he had half an idea that she may flip out.

Hinata was frozen, she didn't move, she didn't want to. But her breath cracked the ice that seemed to form around her body. She opened her mouth to speak but barely anything came out. "Why?" she stuttered, touching her lips with her fingertips to make sure it really happened.

He couldn't shake the apologetic look on his face. In his own mind, he felt like an idiot. He kissed her. He kissed a student, he was a pervert and possibly a pedofile.

"Why did you just do that?" her fingers didn't leave her lips but her eyes were cross. Her words came out as a low growl.

"Hey, I only did it because you were berating yourself. You have such a low self-esteem, I just wanted you to shut up." He sounded like a twelve year old even to himself, to be honest, he didn't know what to say. But he didn't kiss her for the reason he said. "I was just trying to make you feel better."

She shook her head, still staring at him like he was the worst thing in the world. Never had she felt more violated before in her life. She didn't want to look at him.

"Why do you look like that? It's just a kiss." he spat at her, more angrily than she did. She didn't know why he was offended, he was the one putting his lips on everything.

"You're.....my teacher." she said, knowing it was completely obvious. She threw him the most judging, disgusted look in her. She just hated how obvious it was, as if he didn't know. Still he stood there with that stupid look on his face. She stepped backwards to the door connecting the inside of the building and the outside. The door that separated her from the peacefully hectic school day and the horrific thickness of awkward air between her and Mr. Uchiha. Lifting the door, she lept into the safety of the school, not taking her eyes off him as she climbed all the way down the stairs until he could no longer be seen and she shut the door behind her.

It just left him standing there feeling like an idiot.


	4. The Young, The Old, And The Simples

Sorry for spelling mistakes, I literally wrote this right before bed.

* * *

She wasn't elated, but she wasn't depressed with the fact either. The fact that Ino had finally returned to her life. Hinata had barely realized she was gone at all. She had gone away with a lot of other students for the music program, suddenly a lot of familiar faces began to pop up and once again she was greeted and tackled by the bright and friendly faces she knew. Kiba had run up to her, thrown her arms around her, and practically dragged her through the school with tales of his wild week in Suna.

She sat with them at lunch rather than spending her half hour at her usual spot, she felt too confused about what had happened between them and like most bad things that happened to her, she thought about it until it made her physically ill. She chewed on her fingernails while Ino prattled along about all the handsome boys she had met in Suna and how many phone numbers she's gotten, trying to make Shikamaru jealous. He indifferently flicked through college rock songs on his ipod.

"Hinata, why aren't you sitting with your boyfriend?" Ino poked playfully at Hinata. Her head flipped up instantly.

"He's not my boyfriend." she stated, looking around with the most suspicious look upon her face. She was completely oblivious as to who Ino was talking about.

"Not yet." Ino smirked, tapping her plastic fork against the paper plate full of questionable food in front of her. "I think you and Neji make a cute couple."

_Neji. Just Neji. _She released her breath, so relieved. She rubbed her forehead, almost a bit annoyed that she'd scared her like that. "Ino, you know how I feel."

"I know, I know." Ino replied playfully. "I don't know what you're so upset about, he's hot." Hinata grimaced. Ino was a catch but her opinion of 'hot' was a bit strange. Shikamaru was probably the only descent guy she'd been with in a long time although they were always an on and off pair.

"He's my cousin. He looks like he could be my brother." she tried to explain as if it wasn't point blank obvious. Ino's mind worked a lot slower than Hinata's in some areas. Hinata just sat there, carrying on her look towards Ino, waiting as she calculated a conclusion.

"But he's hot." Ino shrugged. Hinata couldn't help but giggle. It was just another reason why she loved being around Ino, no matter what the situation was, she could unknowingly turn it into a joke. It aggravated her at times, but it was a practical ability. "Are you going to go to twirp together?"

Hinata raised a brow. _Twirp? Is that even a word? _"Twirp, Ino?" she grinned sarcastically, attempting to hint that Ino possibly used the incorrect word once again.

"You know, Twirp." Ino waved her hands in Hinata's face.

"No, I don't know." she gripped Ino's flagging hand in order to properly see her face.

"It's a dance, where the girls ask the guys." Ino explained. "Like Sadie Hawkins."

_Then why don't they just call it Sadie Hawkers... _"Oh..." Hinata lowered her head, feeling defeated. "Are you going to Twirp with Shikamaru?" she asked innocently with a desperate need to change the subject.

"Of course we're going." Ino giggled as if what Hinata had just asked was the most amusing question anyone had ever asked her as she nudged Shikamaru's shoulder gently. "Aren't we?" she smiled at him, he didn't seem to be paying much attention since he seemed to be caught up in the status if his now playing song.

"Suuuure..." Hinata mentally giggled at how long and drawn out the word was. He didn't really care, in all truth he had no idea what she had just said, he was just watching her mouth move. She shot him the most threatening glare before returning to Hinata.

"Hey Hinata." Hinata twisted, looking around in an attempt to find the person that had spoken her name. She then returned to her position. Shikamaru spoke without hardly looking at her, seemingly entranced with his iPod. "You're in first lunch, correct?"

"Yes." she nodded hesitantly.

"I haven't seen you around." He stated without saying another word to her for a moment. She almost became angry, she wanted to know what the back and forth was for. Shikamaru was an interesting character, an upperclassman who was seemingly annoyed by everything. She was surprised he could tolerate the incessant notions of Ino. Opposites attract.

"Ino, I'm leaving." He suddenly got up from his seat, he wasn't eating anything now that it caught her attention. He rarely ate which was why he was so skinny. Hinata then became unsettled. She watched every move he made.

"Why? Where are you going?" Ino whined as if she had been talking to him this entire time.

"Nowhere, don't worry about it." _Nowhere? How can you be going nowhere? _He saw her mouth begin to open and very smoothly pressed his lips against hers for the briefest moment.

"I love you." she whispered into his mouth, Hinata could almost feel her breath brushing the side of her face. She was embarrassed for them. It wasn't a terrible thing. It was just difficult watching two people who love each other embrace that way, when you have nothing.

"Yeah." he replied, walking away. Yeah? That was hardly a reply at all. It definitely was 'I love you too' or 'see you soon'. Ino sighed delicately as she watched him go.

For a moment, they both just sat there. Hinata attempted to pry into Ino's head. She wanted to figure out what made her face flush red whenever they touched, what made her eyes glaze over and a feeble smile stretch upon her face. What made her stare into her plate? Just thinking about their times. What made her instantly miss him although he was merely feet away?

"Guess what?" Ino suddenly came up and asked after a long, throaty groan(It's origin was unknown to Hinata)

"Hmm?" Hinata replied barely thinking.

"Sakura's going to ask the new teacher to Twirp." Ino half-laughed as she licked the tip of the spoon that barely touched her food and instantly regretted it. Her laugh resembled what Hinata normally thought about Sakura. It was tinted with the phrase 'yeah right.....'

Hinata heart was pounding out of her chest. A million thoughts ran through her head, her eyes searched for something on the table to focus on so that she would not faint on the spot. "Oh really?" she attempted to say without panic as her voice shook mercilessly.

"Really. Do you think he'll say yes?" Ino asked.

"Not at all. Sakura is so immature and besides why would he want to date a student, isn't that illegal? He's old, she's not thinking, she could have any guy she wanted." Hinata meant to think all of that but it was out now like a stream of consciousness.

Hinata anticipated Ino's answer but it was as it usually was. "But......he's hot."

Hinata knew she wouldn't understand nor would she pay any attention to what she was trying to say.

"That's not the point Ino." Hinata was going to expand with some long speech about how Mr. Uchiha was far too mature for Sakura but the bell began to ring and it stung her ears. She had quite enjoyed the lunch she spent with Ino, it was quite conversational. It was much better than those silent and uncomfortable lunches with Mr. Uchiha. Sadly, she had an entire hour with him next.

Now the thought of Sakura asking him to Twirp made her sick. Sakura was easy, easy easy easy. Simply simple. Physically. She got everything she desired only because she was so facile to manipulation. She wanted to be dominated as long as it was by the person she had in mind. She could surely get Mr. Uchiha. Hinata doubted she was his type but she roped Shino for a few days. Her abilities were limitless. However, there was a huge age difference. She was bold enough but was he? No one wanted to be caught on the fence of being "involved" with a child even a very willing, seventeen year old child.

She silently prayed for the most quick and simple class ever and the need became more desperate and longing as she waled up the stairs. The world around her ask she knew went a mile a minute, everything became silent and time was reduced to the minute and a half it took her to make her way up the steps. She was oblivious to the other students around her and allowed herself to be bumped and nudged and shoved. It didn't matter anymore, if she could get over this dead part of the day, everything else would be simple.

She didn't realize how hard that would be until she bumped into him, he coming from the roof and herself from the stairs. They had crossed paths and now, he had his hand reached towards her-in her face and she was on the floor. She glared at it before grabbing up her books and scurrying into the room.

She dropped her books where they were, at the first desk as usual although she realized she should have sat in the back to avoid any eye contact but she was too dazed over for that. Instead she cut her losses and popped a squat right there. The class seemed brighter that day, he had been decorating...There were now posters and things littered around the room, Hinata found it surprising that Mr. Uchiha took interest in the same music as her. The only thing really different about the start of class was that she wasn't thinking about Naruto, who usually filled her mind from the hours of 3:15 to 4:20.

She couldn't help but fiddle with the pencils in her hand and her eyes wandered around the room as they met with the desperate eyes of Sakura. Hinata shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she saw them talking, privately. And she was sure Sakura didn't need the bathroom pass. She recorded in her mind every detail of Sakura's expression. Her face first contorted with laughter which meant she pointed out some minuscule fact about him that she had no true interest in to start conversation. She then popped the question playfully by interweaving her fingers and smiling immaturely to persuade him with her innocence......'innocence'.

Her heart pounded, she could not see his face to determine a reaction but when she saw Sakura's expression, she nearly died. She smiled, nodding her head frantically and clapping. Hinata suddenly hated her. She had less than no interest in her teacher, she was simply aggravated, definitely not jealous. He kissed her against her will, then accepted an invitation to a dance with a girl half his age. Did he help her this entire time to take her, then give up after getting sick of waiting? She broke her pencil against the desk as she watched them both come into the room. Sakura skipped happily, giving Hinata a thumbs up, for what she didn't know. Sasuke glanced at her for a moment before returning to the lesson, looking quite serious.

To her surprise, their class went by quickly. It was really over before it started and she spent the entire class doodling in her notebook. Not really pictures of anything, just scribbles. When the bell rang, her head snapped up, she had no idea class was over. Others seemed like they had been waiting for that moment their entire life and shot up from their seats faster than an instinctual animal. Hinata gently eased from her chair, looking around. Sakura sped by, waving at the teacher, then walking off.

Hinata grimaced, she was so unappealing(This thought may have been brought about by her....'aggravation'). What did he see in her? She couldn't see it.

"Hinata, can I see you after class?" Mr. Uchiha asked sternly, more demanding than everything.

"It is after class." she contorted rudely although her voice was so soft she was sure he barely heard it.

"Now." he restated but for some reason at that moment, she didn't feel threatened. She felt invincible at the most vulnerable time of her young life. She continued to pack her things away into her bag, ignoring his demands.

"Sit down." he growled, his eyes shooting up at her and she instantly dropped into her chair, her body doing this out of fear. She mentally scolded herself for doing the exact opposite of what she really wanted to do. She sat, quietly as her heart thumped in her rip cage. "We have four hours of tutoring."

_Damn...._

He pulled up a chair and sat in front on her so they faced each other. She didn't look at him, instead her eyes remained glued to the paper in her hands. He tapped his fingertips against the surface of the desk. She didn't care, this four hours was going to have to go by faster today. She was not in the mood for his sarcasm or witty exclamations.

"Was it your first kiss?" And she froze when she heard it. Luckily for her, she didn't seem so surprised. Her head didn't snap upward and her face didn't flush like she normally did.

She shook her head, that was all she was going to pay him. It was. She wasn't going to say that.

"Hinata, you're attractive." Here it came, the flush and the shake. Still she managed to completely dodge his advances by pretending to be reading her paper. She didn't know why he was stating these random facts but she felt her body temperature rising.

"Why would you say that?" she asked softly doing well in the act of pretending not to care what his answer was.

"That's the only question you ever ask." he said. It was probably true, she did feel the need for him to explain everything in detail. "I kissed you because I think you're attractive, not because I felt sorry for you."

A wave of satisfaction brushed over her, she didn't know why that was the one thing she truly wanted to hear, that was the one thing that was going to make this day alright. "Oh." and that was all she could muster to say at the moment.

For a few moments, she looked at the wall. Just thinking and gathering her thoughts, things were less awkward but at the same time they were confusing. She could feel the confusion in his breathing and she was sure he could feel hers.

"Will you be going with Sakura to Twirp?" with this she didn't bother to look at him either. It disturbed him slightly but it wasn't something he felt as though he had to respond to negatively. "She seemed very happy about something."

She couldn't mask how much she cared but by now it no longer mattered. "I don't think so."

Her eyes snapped up to him and as it seems, he anticipated this as his own eyes bored into her head, just waiting for the moment they would make contact. He would never let them go.

"She's a bit....immature." Hinata knew he would say that, it didn't surprise her. "She's certainly cute but, what's the word?.....Generic? She reminds me of a small animal, seeking attention. She feels as though she's too cute to go with a student and that she'll become more desirable if I take her but I'm not feeding into that insecurity."

Hinata nodded, it was all true. But how did he know this.

"Will you be going with Neji?" the tables were flipped and now the spotlight was on her. She wanted to say something complicated and intelligent but it wasn't with her at that moment.

"You know I won't." she replied.

"You really should, it may be beneficial to you." at that second she turned away from him. Those were the most disgusting words she had ever heard. She shook her head, why would he say that? Her eyes shifted upward. She didn't want to even think that he was here at this moment.

"It's hard to have a conversation when you're stating at the ceiling." He said.

"I don't love Neji, I don't like him romantically, I don't like him physically, I don't like him in any way at all." she spoke through gritted teeth. "I get enough romantic advice from my father."

"You have a phobia of happiness." he stated like it was news. "You won't stop hating everything until you're completely miserable."

"How does that make any sense?" Hinata snapped sarcastically.

"When you're happy, you think you can never be happier so you choose to be miserable so you'll appreciate common joy more. It's very unhealthy." was he a psychologist now?

"Why are you lecturing me?" she sighed in desperation.

Nothing was said and she suddenly regretted asking.

"Hinata." he spoke her name softly just to get her attention and she flinched as his hand gently covered her own. She was relaxed while at the same time, didn't have the strength to move. "You know why."

Her jaw dropped softly, just a bit but she soon picked it back up and shut her eyes, just to think for a moment. What exactly was happening? She was now tangled in an entirely different jungle from high school. But she had sight of what was wrong and what was right. Mainly that she was young and he was old. Just the thought of them having any type of relationship other than professional would ruin his career and she could possibly lose everything. She didn't seem as though she had a lot going for her at the moment but she could have much less.

He read the look on her face, whatever she thought wasn't any good for him. The only thing she could think of was _wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. _What she was doing was wrong, if she was doing anything at all. She couldn't live with herself if that happened. She couldn't.

"Hinata." he called her name softly again as she shook her head in response to the question he had yet to ask. "I'm only 21."

Her gaze drifted up to him. "21?" she repeated like it was another language and he nodded. "That's still a long way from sixteen." she said although she still assumed he was much older. He was quite handsome and very youthful but had mature features and in every way, had the aura of someone of atleast thirty.

"It's not bad." he said softly. "It's not wrong."

"This is all just so.....fast." she found it hard to gather the words.

Releasing her from her moment of displeasure was a constant rapping on the door. The door was open but someone politely tapped on the threshold. They both turned and made space between themselves quickly.

"Come in." Sasuke asserted after clearing his throat.

Naruto. Hinata instantly began to blush and ignored Sasuke's eyes as they seemed to roll right out of his head. "Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." his voice was innocent and boyish and Hinata drank it all in.

"Not at all." Sasuke sighed, irritated but politely.

"Could I borrow Hinata, just for a minute?" Sasuke rubbed the back of his head, coughing into his arm. To Hinata, he was the most charming man ever but to Sasuke, he was a pig. He was disgusting and immature.

Sasuke groaned inwardly but waved the girl away reluctantly. He thought she would be more suspicious, slow and cautious. Contrary to his beliefs, she seemed to float out of her chair. She stood next to him in half a second. Her eyes were stuck to his face. He regarded how much of a pervert she really was. She imagined him naked in the most compromising positions, he assumed.

Now they were talking so low and short breathed that he could barely make out what they were saying. He could have heard correctly but didn't want her to confuse him with someone who cared whether or not she was speaking to an idiot or not. They turned away from him as he sat there feeling quite stupid.

"Hey." Naruto spoke as soon as he was sure Sasuke couldn't hear them.

"Hi." Hinata replied quickly, very mousy.

"This is...untraditional." Naruto began as he scratched the back of his head as if he were being invaded by some type of vicious animal. "But could you ask me to Twirp?"


	5. The Undeservings

**Excuse spelling and all that jazz. :( I realize typing errors can be quite the annoyance to a reader so I'm very sorry. I write most of these stories very late at night and I wake up around 5am every morning (for no particular reason, I'm just a morning person) so I'm very tired. I don't mean to make so many spelling and grammatical errors, they're not by a lack of knowledge but more by typing error. I promise you all, I was in 3****rd**** grade the day we learned to spell "ask", if you ever read the word "aks" and wonder what is wrong with me... It was a typing mistake, I know how to spell "ask". And yeah, I should probably proof read and spell check but I don't cause I'm a bad writer haha :) But I still hope you all enjoy the chapter. (No, I'm not scolding anyone, I didn't get any hate mail or anything xD...)**

Hinata walked silently to the Yamanaka Flower shop which was also her best friend, Ino's house. Though people surrounded her by the hundreds, she felt as if there were no space and time between her and the green painted door. She was intent, what had just happened moments ago was simply insane. It could possibly be life changing. She was too innocent, too naive to figure this out on her own. She needed a friend, Ino was irrational, self righteous and slightly jaded but she had a certain talent with the male gender; one talent Hinata lacked.

As she approached the door, shouts and a small crash could be heard from upstairs. She hesitated in opening it, first thinking that something treacherous may be happening. As suddenly as the breath she was about to breathe arose in her lungs, Shikamaru came bursting through the door, the essence of fury painted on his well defined features.

"I don't need this." He spat into the house as he left, the stairs which were in line with the door housed Ino's slouched body. Her face was swollen with anger.

"Well I don't need you!" She screamed in response, voice cracking with every letter expressed. "I hate you." She shouted at last, running up the stairs in fury.

Hinata, and everyone else in the area having just seen the scenario, stared at each other in question of what had just happened and whether or not it should affect them. Most shrugged eventually and carried on about themselves. Hinata rather slowly and cautiously entered the home, frightened of what displeasure her presence might bring.

She found Ino upstairs in her room, like normal. However she wasn't crying. She was stomping about the room, tearing every remnant of Shikamaru's existence from her periphery (again). "Damn him, damn him, damn him!" She cried, irate as she ripped down a photo of them together at the New Years festival.

Hinata knocked on the threshold of the door, since Ino wasn't yet aware that she had entered. "Ino." she spoke her name sweetly and as softly as possible.

"Hinata!" Ino shouted as if she had not been there that entire time. She ran over to her, embracing her deeply and dropping her head on Hinata's shoulder. Hinata herself struggled to breathe but that was a situation that was less significant than the bird's eye view of it all.

"So..." Hinata trailed off. "You're shredding all your memories of Shikamaru again." She spoke blatantly, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Can you believe him?" Ino seemed to throw Hinata out of her arms to pace around the room and recall the incident that had caused her hysteria.

"No I cannot." Hinata whispered sarcastically.

"I call him to come over after school to discuss what color tie clip he's going to wear to twirp, he says he can't because he's busy." She shrieked, Hinata was about to completely end their relationship as friends had that been the only reason for their altercation. "Come to find out, **he **is out at the library with **Temari Sabaku**." She protested as if that were the worst thing that could possibly happen to her. Hinata raised a brow in confusion.

"So, what's important about Shikamaru hanging out with Temari?" Hinata asked, sitting down on Ino's bed to further examine this "crisis".

"Only everything!" She whined as she paced around the room. "This is, like, the third time they've hung out this week. Finally when he gets here, like, an hour late he tells me they were **just **studying. Sure, just studying? Right, that happens." She blurted sarcastically. "And now they're **just friends**! Just friends? Really? Like that isn't the single solitary most used vindication in this situation!" Ino growled repetitively. "And suddenly this is **my **fault! **I'm **overreacting! How am I supposed to react when I know **my **boyfriend is running around with some other girl? So I told him, I'd rather have _no _boyfriend whatsoever than a boyfriend who I have to keep tabs on! That's when he tried to walk away but I said 'Oh no! You're not walking out on me!'; that's when I grabbed his arm and he said-" She indeed sounded like another one of those teenage dramas. Hinata was so filled to the brim with the angst radiating from her friend, but she was indeed a friend. The type of friend to kindly, and calmly respond to her own friend when she is in pain, or otherwise. When she was finally, finally through with her ramble, Hinata spoke.

"Well, Ino. You've been dating Shikamaru for a long time." Hinata said.

"Three years." Ino interjected. "Two years and four months if you count that one time we broke up...and that other time..." she trailed off.

"Exactly, two years is such a long time, you really care about him." Hinata smiled, sentimenting with her friend. "So it's normal for you to feel fear when that bond is threatened."

Ino nodded in somewhat of agreement. "So what should I do?" For a moment, Hinata felt a burst of pride. Ino was asking her for relationship advice, if there was anything Hinata had trouble understanding, it was the opposite sex. Here Ino was, actually taking a chance with Hinata's opinion. This was revolutionary.

"Well, if Shikamaru were my boyfriend...for a very long time," Hinata spoke, her eyes to the ceiling and her heart seeming to lose it's fullness and weight as she thought of her personal desires, hopes, impossibilities. "I would want to spend all my time with him." she sighed deeply, tracing the pink circles on Ino's bedspread with her finger.

Ino looked around the room for a moment, confused by Emily's statement. "And?" She asked, motioning for to continue.

"And maybe you shouldn't let something so small stop you from doing that." She concluded.

"So, I should get back together with Shikamaru?" Ino asked, attempting to sum up what Hinata just said in a fashion that she could understand.

"Yes, I think you should." Hinata smiled.

"You're right, Hinata." Ino finally stood up with a beaming expression and said. Hinata was only thankful that she didn't ask once again for a more simplified explanation. "Now instead of thinking about how to erase Shikamaru from my life, I can think about twirp." Ino clapped her hands, grabbing the waste bin she'd used to eliminate everything Shikamaru had ever given her and pouring it's contents onto the foot of her bed as if to remind herself later to return them to their original places. She then ran over to her armoire, picking up two items. "Now, I was thinking that I should wear a tiara. Is that too much?" She asked, placing the tiara on top of her head as an example.

Judging by Hinata's dismayed, disappointed and drained expression, Ino halted. "Too much?" She asked curious of Hinata's sudden disposition.

"No, it looks beautiful on you, Ino." Hinata sighed with somewhat of a painted on smile.

"Then what's wrong?" Ino sat next to Hinata, combing her fingers through the girls thick, black tresses.

"Nothing." she replied. In truth, thinking so much about the happiness that Shikamaru had brought Ino for so long made her wonder what life would be like if she had someone to adore aimlessly; if she had someone to covet and someone to which she could channel every percentage of affection she was capable of producing.

"Is it Neji again?" Ino bumped Hinata's arm with her elbow.

"No." She seemed to spit that out like a spot of fire.

"Then what is it?" Ino said to herself. After a moment of silence she finally gasped. "Ohh, has no one asked you to twirp yet?" She asked in a sympathetic tone.

"Well..." Hinata sighed reluctantly.

"Well what?" Ino scooted closer in her desire to know information that wasn't relevant to her.

"Naruto may have asked me after class today." She spoke as if it didn't matter which was what she wanted things to appear like, but a small smiled began to pronounce itself without her giving any permission.

"Oh my God!" Ino shouted. Now Hinata couldn't hold back her dreary joy so she smiled subtly as Ino shook her shoulder. "This is awesome." She clapped and applauded. "We have to get you a dress **now**!" Ino jumped up, grabbing Hinata's wrist. Hinata resisted her grasp and Ino glared at her for her difficulty.

"Well...I didn't exactly say yes." She mentioned.

"You didn't say yes?" Ino's eyes grew wide. "Why the hell not?" She continued to slap her shoulder.

"Well, I didn't say no either...I was just unsure..." Hinata always seemed to stare at the floor whenever she was feeling less confident which was often.

"About what? What is there to be unsure about? You've had a crush on Naruto since you guys were, like, four!" Ino ranted on in her own way.

"Why would he want to go with...me? He's never seemed interested in me before." She muttered, eyes glued to the floor.

"Naruto is a bit dense, Hinata." Look who's calling the kettle black. "So, yeah it took him a while to realize that you're great. You're so nice and patient and you're beautiful. What's not to love?" Ino laughed, patting Hinata's shoulder lovingly. Hinata blushed, questioning whether or not what she said was honest or based on their friendship.

"We have to call him." Ino shouted. "or else he'll think you don't like him and he'll ask someone else." She ran over to her dresser and moved the entire phone receiver, trailing the cord behind her. She also found her address book among the pile of items she temporarily despised. She opened the book and found his name, shaking in excitement of Hinata's newest affair.

As she dialed, Hinata's blood raced through her. This could very well be the most life-changing moment of her life. If she agreed to go to the dance with Naruto, maybe he would want to go out again, then maybe he would ask her to be his girlfriend, then maybe they would date for a long time, then maybe he would ask her to marry him, then maybe they would get married and have children...as she'd imagined.

The sound of a dial tone caught every ounce of attention from Hinata's ears. She stared deeply into the receiver, praying to God-to any God who would answer really- that he would pick up.

After several moments of ice-cold sweat and ambition, the muffled sound of a grasped receiver chimed so sweetly over the phone. The room as so silent that a breath could be heard from outside the door.

"Hello?" the exhausted and mellow voice of Naruto Uzumaki bellowed through the air.

"Hey Naruto, this is Ino." Ino trailed on. She turned to Hinata, gesturing for her to speak into the phone. Hinata instantly covered her mouth with her palm, shaking her head. "Hinata! Tell him!" Ino whispered excitedly.

"No!" Hinata whispered back; turned away from her opportunity by her nagging thoughts about...him.

"Fine, I'll do it." Ino groaned. "Well, Hinata told me that you asked her to twirp."

"Yeah, what did she say?" He asked seemingly quite nervous.

"Well, we talked about it and she wanted me to tell you that she would be delighted to go to twirp with you." she recited with great pleasure.

"No." Hinata hissed. "I said no."

"Well it's too late now!" Ino hissed back.

"Oh, that's great." Naruto chuckled. "I can't wait to talk to her...where is she anyway?"

"Um, she's home for dinner!" Ino responded with less wit than she felt it was worth.

Hinata just shook her head in shame and disappointment.

"Well, tell her to call me later...she has my number right?" he questioned, obviously wondering why she didn't call herself.

"I'll give it to her." Ino said. "Now I've got to go, I've got lots of planning to do." She sang to herself although she was talking to him.

"Well good luck." He responded indifferently.

"You too, bye." she said, hanging up and pressing her palms to her chest dreamily. Hinata simply seethed towards her. Ino turned, finally receiving Hinata's seethe. "What?"

"I said no." Hinata moaned.

"Hinata, trust me, this date with Naruto might just change everything. Don't act like you haven't wanted this." Ino poked her. "Unless...you wanted to go with someone else."

"No." Hinata answered instantly. Well, she did, in some figment of her mind, want to go with Mr. Uchiha but...that was just a dream. He was a teacher, he belonged there to chaperone and to maintain civility, not to dance the night away. She had no place with him and he had no place with her, she may as well have just given up.

"So, what's the problem?" Ino inquired.

"Never mind." Hinata shook her head, standing up. "You're right, I do really want to go with Naruto." She hated herself for just saying that, not because it revealed her so obvious vulnerability but because it wasn't true. "I'm so excited in fact, I'm gonna run home right now and tell Ramma." She smiled with a slight chuckle.

"Wait! You're leaving?" Ino frowned in the same disappointment a young girl feels before her father leaves for work. "But I never even got your opinion on the tiara." she whined.

"It looks nice, Ino. I swear." Hinata said. "Maybe you should get Shikamaru's opinion as well." she suggested just to deter Ino's mind from catching onto her white lie.

"You're right!" She exclaimed. "I still need to call Shikamaru!" Ino began to dial her phone and Hinata smiled, she did good or atleast she thought. She had no idea why she was so concentrated on Mr. Uchiha, she was a teenager and he was...old...too old for her. He had his time, now came hers. She was in the prime of her being and he was...stopping her from spending time with someone she really cared about.

Her last thoughts before she left the room, shutting the door silently as Ino held the phone to her face in her beautiful ignorance, was whether or not Mr. Uchiha really mattered to her as much as years of pure love and adoration for Naruto did. All that love, it still resided in her. As for Mr. Uchiha, there was no room for him.


End file.
